PUZZLE #17 - White to Pure

Most faithful Mormons would tell you that the only changes to the Book of Mormon have been in punctuation, spelling or grammar, but in 1981 the word white in 2nd Nephi 30:6 was replaced with the word pure. One single word. With that one little change an entire doctrine was removed from the teachings of the Mormon Church.

Even today, older Mormons will tell you that someday, the native Americans are going to become white again. It is a doctrine that these people were taught from childhood. They still believe it. Most Mormons are not even aware that this change was made to 2nd Nephi 30:6.

Mormons who have been made aware of this change quickly claim a similarity between the word white and the word pure, and they may even say that the meaning of the verse is unchanged. They might tell you that in the spiritual realm, white and pure are practically the same idea.

"And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure and delightsome people." 2nd Nephi 30:6 (1981 version) [emphasis mine]

"And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white and delightsome people." 2nd Nephi 30:6 (pre-1981 version) [emphasis mine]

While it may be true that in the spiritual realm 'white' is practically the same as 'pure', the pre-1981 text, which I will paste in here, did not speak of anything spiritual. This passage is about skin color.

"And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them." 2nd Nephi 5:21 [emphasis mine]

With 2nd Nephi 30:6 reading the way it did (pre-1981 above) for more than a century, the cross-reference used to send you to 2nd Nephi 5:21. Do you believe that the words skin of blackness in 2nd Nephi 5:21 are speaking about the spiritual condition of these people? Of course not. 2nd Nephi 5:21 remains unchanged as yet (2007).

Read 3rd Nephi 2:12-15, and you will find that when one group of Lamanites (whose skins were dark from the curse) repented and became sufficiently righteous, their skin color reverted back to white. 3rd Nephi 2:15 says:

"And their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites;" (3rd Nephi 2:15)

It was taught from every pulpit and in every Mormon Sunday school and seminary classroom; The Lamanites of our day (supposedly the native Americans) would one day become righteous and turn white. Even today, many Mormons will point to some group of native Americans or to some native American who they know and make a remark about how they are actually becoming whiter.

It was easy for the writers of the Book of Mormon to have the ancient Lamanites become white. Nobody could prove that they hadn’t. Getting today's native Americans to turn white is beyond man's capability, and as far as the Mormon Church goes, it is apparently beyond the capability of their god. What he could do in the text of 3rd Nephi, he cannot do today, so the text had to be changed. In 1981, it was changed.

Perhaps the LDS church has found that, in the 21st century, the native Americans don't want a change of skin color. They are proud of who they are, and their skin color is part of their connection to their rich heritage as a people.